This series began as an exploration in story telling, and to see if I could communicate an idea that had a certain emotional resonance, apparent to anyone viewing the work. My hope is that a sense of beautiful melancholy will be stirred, without the images being explicit or morose. The project was inspired by an old book I found at Scrap, in San Francisco, called “King’s Views of New York”, by Moses King (1906), a pictorial celebration of all the magnificent new office buildings, mansions, bridges, tunnels, and other infrastructure that had recently appeared or were underway in New York City that year. It enthusiastically described how many tons of steel such and such new building used, or how many miles of copper wire was expended. It acted as a sort of time capsule: an exuberant glimpse into a different country, one that could without hesitation champion a kind of imperial project that was the city being built.
Given the period, the Beaux Arts & Classical Revival styles were in full swing, and architecture both public and private, was influenced by the prevailing trend for ornamentation and ostentation. At the same time, steel frame curtain wall construction and the invention of the elevator had engendered a new building type: the skyscraper. The leading manufacturing, banking, and insurance companies all needed to have a presence in New York, and wanted their buildings to embody a sense of solidity, wealth, and nobility. The builders understood they were making the new Rome, and spared no expense. Architecture was seen as a way of communicating the American ideals of Greek democracy and Roman law, and the belief that they were constructing greatness, for the ages. To do otherwise was viewed as undeserving for such an important city, and beneath the reputation of the owners. A building was seen not just as a symbol of the occupants, but as a contribution to civic life…an improvement for all citizens to enjoy. These soaring, elegant towers were a source of pride and made the city the undisputed capital of our nation’s commerce.
Being a frequent visitor to New York in recent years, I decided to see how many of the unbelievably beautiful buildings shown in “King’s Views”, survived, and was quite heartbroken to find that many had been demolished (it’s still happening), and was appalled by the abysmal, soulless, ugly things that have arisen in their place. In my view, something had changed, not just stylistically (I don’t believe we need to still build in the Classical manner, and there are stunning, innovative modern towers), but that a change of attitude had occurred. Buildings had become cheap, uniform, and anonymous. A certain coldness has enveloped Manhattan, with generic glass boxes reflecting each other without any sense of scale, warmth, or wonder. They are totally unconcerned with contributing to the aesthetic enhancement of the city, and speak only to themselves. They don’t seem to have emerged organically, calling to mind a specific place, but are more like ominous spores masquerading as a style. They appear to be in a hurry, indifferent to their surroundings and feel oddly temporary. They are simply deals, and places to park money, wrapped within a glazed curtain wall. It would be as if Florence allowed the demolition of the Medici Palaces, and erected shiny, sterile, featureless high-rises, each with a Chase Bank and perhaps a Duane Reade or a KFC occupying the bland and uninviting ground level.
It seems a sensibility has died, and urban life is all the poorer as result.
